Julia Baird appeared on ABC’s 7.30 for a special report on Christianity and domestic violence. You can read the investigation by Julia Baird and Hayley Gleeson here.
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“Your problem is you won’t obey me. The Bible says you must obey me and you refuse,” he yelled. “You are a failure as a wife, as a Christian, as a mother. You are an insubordinate piece of s**t.”
These were the words Sally’s husband Peter threw at her the night before she left him.
Throughout his abuse, Peter read passages from the Bible to justify his claim that Sally had failed in her spiritual duties as a woman. God wanted her to submit to her husband, he said. For a long time, Sally believed him. She’s not alone in this experience.
Sally is one of the many women who have been interviewed by ABC News in their 12-month, extensive investigation into domestic violence and Christianity, which involved speaking with dozens of survivors, counsellors, and members of the church hierarchy from a range of Christian denominations. The research forms part of a broader inquiry into domestic violence and religion – the first instalment of which focused on Islam.
Women told to endure domestic violence in the name of God https://t.co/SPu7OVmV3e pic.twitter.com/OVEzjy4IKI
— ABC News (@abcnews) July 18, 2017
Top Comments
Fascinating read. It doesn't surprise me. You may believe in god but it doesn't give you the right to abuse others- religious or not, if you rape and abuse, you're still a rapist and abuser. Think the study reflects that a lot of people are yet to wake up to this fact. DV is an epidemic and it needs to be better addressed.
I guess the first question should be what are the rates of DV in Christian households and how does that compare to the general public.
I like the idea but how would you get an accurate assessment when dv is often hidden and the church is known for covering up abuse?
True but DV in general is covered up, or at least vastly under reported. Makes it difficult to study in all cases.